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Time & Society
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The Polychronic—Monochronic Tendency Model

PMTS scale development and validation

Jay D. Lindquist

Department of Marketing in the Haworth College of Business, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI 49008–3812, USA, jay.lindquist{at}wmich.edu

Carol Kaufman-Scarborough

School of Business at Rutgers University, Camden, New Jersey 08102, USA, ckaufman{at}camden.rutgers.edu

Polychronicity has traditionally been defined as a form of behavior wherein a person engages in two or more activities during the same block of time, while monochronicity occurs when a person engages in one activity at a time. These concepts have become increasingly relevant in discussions of `time personality', worktime in the home, and technological impacts on time. Other underlying dimensions of polychronicity also exist, such as preferences and feelings towards whether to combine activities or not. In order to reflect this more complex perspective, a validated, updated measure of a person's polychronic—monochronic overall tendency is needed. The present study is a re-inquiry and extension of the Polychronic Attitude Index (PAI), introduced in 1991. In the current research plan we propose, develop, and validate a general five-item comprehensive `reflective' single factor extended model. The general Polychronic—Monochronic Tendency Model is constructed using confirmatory factor analysis. The five-item summated scale from this model is named the Polychronic—Monochronic Tendency Scale (PMTS). A series of five separate studies were used to variously test for social desirability response bias, internal consistency, discriminant validity, and nomological validity. The PAI is also compared statistically to PMTS with the latter being clearly stronger. A discussion of the results and research implications are presented.

Key Words: measurement • monochronicity • multiple simultaneous activities • polychronicity • polychronic • monochronic tendency

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Time & Society, Vol. 16, No. 2-3, 253-285 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0961463X07080270
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